Washing-machine



(No Model.) s sheetssheet 1.

i P. P. BIGKEL.

WASHING MACHINE.

No. 361,919. Patented Apr. 26,1887.

lill/l /l WITJVESSES I JV' VEN TOR Attorney 3 Sheets-#Sheet V2.

(No Model.)

F. vENKEL.

WASHING MACHINE.

No. 361,919. Patented Apr. 26, 1887.

I JV VEN TOR WITNESSES .attorney N. PETERS; Phnwmhogmphur. wuningxon. D. c.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

F. P. BIGKEL.

WASHING MACHINE. No. 361,919. A Patented Ap1.26, 1887.

F :L .EL I Y V I a d i? I a( f Y f A m-J f f s d5 a: a l di .1f

nkz'nPB-l TVITJVESSES e' .lttomey UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANKLIN P. BIOKEL, OF HILL GROVE, OHIO.

WASHING- MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 361,919, dated April 26, 1887. Application filed February 10, 1887. Serial No. 227,161. lNo model.)

To all whom, it puny concern:

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN l?. BIoIIEL, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Hill Grove, in the county of Darke and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in \Vashingl\/Iacl1ines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to that class of pounder washing-machines in which the pounders operate in connection with a revolving tub.

The obj ect of this invention is to so organize the operative parts of such machines as to cause the tub to be automatically rotated by the action of the pounders. This and minor objects are attained by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, where- Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating my improved washing-machine. Fig. 2 is a vertical section thereof. Fig. 3 is an inverted plan view of the screen. Fig. 4. is a perspective View of one of the pounders, and Fig. 5 is a section illustrating one mode of connecting the pounder-frame with the supportingframe.

The operative parts of my improved washing machine are mounted on any suitable frame, that shown in the drawings consisting of standards A A', rising from supports a, and braced together by horizontal bars A'l A3. These cross-bars are provided centrally with vertical bearings to receive the vertical shaft B, said shaft being provided at its upper end with a head-plate, b, to which is secured a turn-table, b', designed to support a washtub, C'.

The standard A projects a distance above the top of the wash-tub, and is fitted with a pounder-frame, having bearings d for the driving-shaft E of the machine, and a guideloop, d', for the pounder-rod F. I prefer to construct this pounder-frame as shown in the drawings-that is, having a mortise, di, in the projecting end of its upper bar, D, to receive a tenon formed on the upper end of standard A, and having a tenon, d, on the end of its `lower bar, D', to lit a mortise eut in the side of said standard at a point just above the top of the tub C. This lower bar, D', extends across the top of the tub, and its outer end, is

provided with a mortise, LF, fitting a tenen, a', on the upper end of standard A, a single pin, a?, passing th rough the bar and standard, serving to lock the pounder-frame firmly to" the standard while the machine is in use, but the frame,with its shaft and pounders, being capable of removal upon withdrawal of said pin.

The driving-shaft E is tted at its outer end with a hand-crank, e, and at its inner end with a crank, e, to which is connected one end of the pounder rod F, the lower end of this pounder-rod F being firmly secured to aspider, f, to the buter ends of thexarms of which the pounders G are secured. These pounders are hollow funnel-shaped shells, shorter at one side than at the other, and provided at their lower open ends with cross-braces g, and the bolt g', by which the pounders are secured to the arms of the spider, passes through these braces g, to give rigidity to the pounders at their lower ends.

I prefer to interpose a bracket-link, H, between the pounder-rod F and crank c', said link being provided at its upper end with an adjusting-slot, L, and near its lower end with outwardly-projecting lugs 7L h2, having apertures to receive the upper end of the pounderrod. A coiled spring, Lencireles the upper end of the pounder-rod, its upper end bearing against the upper lug, h', of the bracket-link H, and its lower end bearing upon a cross-pin, f', carried by the I'od F, which pin normally rests upon the cam-like upper face of the lug h". A removable perforated screen-plate, S, is supported above the bottom of the tub by a down-turned peripheral flange, s, and crossribs s.

In operation, starting from the position shown in Fig. 2, Vwith the shaft E turned in the direction indicated by the arrow, the lower end of the pounder-rod, with the spider and pounders, will be advanced toward the left, thus rotating the tub, and the pounders then lifted from the water and moved by the continued rotation of the shaft E toward the right.

Owing to the fact that the pounders are short ened on one side, the lower edge will strike the water flush, or nearly so, thereby carrying a quantity of air in the water and forcing the current of air and water through the clothes in the tub, and as the operation proceeds the walking movement of the pounders will continue to rotate the tub, thus bringing the clothes in all parts of the tub under the action of the pounders. The spring I on the pounderrod admits of a yielding pressure ofthe pounders upon the clothes in the tub, and also serves to maintain the short side of tbepounder-cups in the direction of rotationot the tub, for as the pounders rest upon the clothes in the tub While the crank e is in its lowest position, it follows that the pounders and rod F must turn slightly with respect to the bracket-link I-I as the tub advances; but as the pounders rise the spiral spring will force pin f against the camfaoe of lug h2, and as the pin traverses down said cam-surface the pounders will be turned, to again bring their short sides in the direction of advance, so that the lower open end will strike the water square and carry a proportion of air down through the water and clothes.

As the foreign matters are separated from the fibers of the material undergoing the cleansing operation they will fall through the perforations in the false bottom or screen S, thus preserving the purity of the water used for a greater length ot' time than as though the screen were not used.

I claim- 1. The combination, with a revoluble tub, of the pounder mechanism, consisting of a crank-shaft, a. pounder-rod connected at its upper end to and -moving in a circular path with the crank of said shaft, and provided at its lower end with pounders, and the guideloop carried by the pounder-frame, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with thc revoluble tub, of the pounder-frame provided with a guideloop, the crank-shaft, the pounders having a rod which passes through said guide-loop, the bracket-link provided with lugs, the spring, and a pin carried by the poundenrodand arranged to bear upon a cam carried by thelink.

3. The combination, substantially as described, of the pounder-frame, the crank-shaft, the pounder-rod connected at its upper 4end to the crank of said shaft and provided at its lower end with a spider, and the pounder-cups having their lower ends inclined with relation to the pounder-rod.

4. The combination, substantially as described, of the pounder-frame provided with acrank-shaft and guide-loop, the bracket-link provided at its upper end with a slot and at its lower end with apertured lugs, the pounderrod passing through the guidcloop and through apertures of said lugs, and the spring confined between one of said lugs and a projection on the rod to exert a downward pressure on the latter.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANKLIN P. BICKEL.

W'itnesses:

MARY A. CnnvisToN, J. B. CRnvIsToN. 

